Speech rehabilitation can be performed, under guidance or supervision of speech therapists, on patients with language deficits such as those suffering from aphasia that can occur because the language area is damaged by a cerebrovascular accident such as cerebral hemorrhage or cerebral infarction, those suffering from dysarthria or the like that can occur because an organ related to articulation becomes dysfunctional, and those suffering from speech deficits due to, for example, Parkinson's disease.
In speech rehabilitation of such patients with speech deficits, training (speech training) for causing such patients to speak in a loud voice is one important option.
For example, JP-A-2007-292979 discloses an exercise assistance apparatus for assisting recovery from aphasia.
The exercise assistance apparatus in JP-A-2007-292979 is not intended for speech training that causes patients with speech deficits to speak in a loud voice. Accordingly, even if such an apparatus is used, patients with language deficits cannot perform speech training with a loud voice without the speech therapist, thereby reducing the efficiency of the training.